who we are

Cat Protection began in 1958, as a small group of people dedicated to reducing the number of stray cats by desexing and finding loving and responsible homes for street cats.

Our vision remains the same – that every cat has a loving and responsible home – but we now offer a range of feline care services from our purpose-designed, no-kill shelter in Newtown.

We are an independent charity operating only in NSW.

We’re not a subsidiary of any other organisation and we don’t have branches.

Structured as an association under the NSW Associations Incorporation Act, with a Board (committee) elected by the membership, our independently audited accounts are submitted to our AGM and the Director-General of Fair Trading each year.

We’re endorsed by the Australian Tax Office as a Deductible Gift Recipient which means you can claim donations $2 and over as tax deductions – you can check our status on ABN Lookup www.abr.business.gov.au – our ABN is 81 610 951 615.

Cat Protection quick facts:

1846 members

150 volunteers

28 full-time equivalent paid staff

5,000 human clients each year

3,000 feline clients each year

$2m pa operating expenses

Caring for cats since 1958

Board

All Board members volunteer their time and skills and receive no remuneration

President – Ms Kaye IsbisterKaye is human resources professional who, over the past 20 years, has worked with some of Australia’s largest companies. She holds an MBA, specialising in HR Management & Human Resources, from the University of Technology, Sydney. She has always had a keen interest in animal welfare and a belief in the importance of creating a great working environment.

Vice President – Mrs Nita HarveyNita became a Life Member of Cat Protection in the 1980s and began volunteering in 1996, after retiring from her role as office manager for a major health fund. She was appointed Treasurer in 1998 and also served as president from 2004 to November 2007.

Director – Mrs Angelika ElliottAngelika was born in Austria and studied design in Vienna, later moving to London where she volunteered for Cats Protection UK. She moved to Australia in 1984 and has volunteered for Cat Protection for more than 20 years. She runs her own French antique import business.

Director – Ms Petra DobrijevicPetra holds a BA (Hons) in Sociology from UNSW. She has worked extensively in the tertiary education sector as a lecturer, tutor and researcher. She has also worked as a policy adviser in a variety of state and federal government departments. Her public sector experience also includes work as a senior training consultant, research officer and manager. She is an active supporter of Cat Protection and has hands-on experience in feline welfare.

Director – Ms Grace TamGrace is a treasury and risk expert who is currently an Associate Director in the Funding & Financial Markets Division of Macquarie Bank. She has two degrees, a Bachelor of Economics and Asian Studies from ANU and a First class Honours in Econometrics and Quantitative Economics from Monash. She has been an active member of Cat Protection since 2009 as an adopter, a donor and a volunteer.

Director – Mr Guy Farrands
Mr Farrands has over 30 years’ experience in direct and listed property markets both in Australia and internationally and across commercial, retail, industrial, residential and retirement asset classes. He was managing director and CEO of GEO Property Group (now Villa World Limited) between 2007 and 2011. Previously Mr Farrands was CEO of Valad Property Group between 2005 and 2007. Mr Farrands’ former roles included division director of the real estate division of Macquarie Bank’s Investment Banking Group where he managed IPOs, equity raisings and mergers and acquisitions; and associate director and joint head of property for Heine Management Limited.

Director – Mr Michael MadaniMichael is an actuarial and data analyst who is currently the Head of Operational Analytics in Banking and Financial Services at Macquarie Bank. He has a Bachelor of Commerce (Actuarial Studies) from Macquarie
University.

Management team

CEO – Ms Kristina Vesk OAMCEO since late 2006, Kristina has a BA in Social Science and her career has focused on public policy, public affairs and media, in the government and not-for-profit sectors. For 10 years she served as a layperson on the human research ethics committee of a Sydney teaching hospital. She is responsible for the overall management of Cat Protection, and she reports to the Board.

Feline Services Manager – Ms Nerida AtkinNerida has more than 20 years experience working with animals, and joined Cat Protection in 2004. She is a qualified vet nurse, with a Graduate Certificate in Animal Welfare and an ISFM Certificate in Feline Friendly Nursing.